The Redemption of Sybok
by Taluhk
Summary: It always perplexed me how a logical Vulcan such as Sybok could believe in Sha Ka Ree, leading him to his own demise. In the alternate universe, Spock Prime finds a logical reason to search for Sybok and hopefully rescue him.
1. Chapter 1: Recollection

**Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek or any canon characters. Original characters are my copyright, as is this story. I'm not making any money from this. Woe is me. I do, however, own a nice bridge in Brooklyn which I'd like to sell to you. No copyright infringement is intended, and any resemblance to actual persons is purely coincidental. Unbeta'd, as this is my story in about a decade. ;-)**

**Chapter 1: Recollection**

_(**A/N: '**Selek' is the assumed identity of the older version of Spock who time-travelled from the future)_

Elder Selek placed his PADD on his desk, reclined in his seat and spent precisely 2.47 minutes taking in the views from his office window whilst awaiting his final visitor of the day. The sunset on New Vulcan was indeed aesthetically pleasing, even if it was not quite as breathtaking as the view from his palatial childhood home. Selek customarily paused in his tasks to meditate on the reds, oranges and golds that set the horizon ablaze as the sun sank into the distant mountain ranges. So reminiscent of his home world - and yet, so very not.

This was a ritual he had practised since his early childhood, when he would frequently run into the desert without telling his father where he was or what he was doing. He knew this greatly displeased Sarek, but he could not help himself. The only time he truly felt liberated as a child was when he sat in the cool sands, observing the sunrise or sunset over the eternal Sas-a-shar.

In truth, his katra had soared in the isolation of the desert, free from the judgemental eyes of his fellow Vulcans. His childhood escapades had allowed him to briefly shrug off the oppressive shackles of emotional control that his father, and his father's people, were forcing upon his tormented, half-human soul. It was the only time when he truly felt free to be himself, without having to prove he was 'Vulcan enough'. He deemed it worth enduring any punishment his father could devise in order to feel this free.

Selek retreated from his reverie and retrieved his PADD to review the following day's tasks. In the four years since Vulcan's destruction, Selek had excelled in his position on the High Council of New Vulcan. Due to his experience as a Starfleet officer and a Federation diplomat, Selek was deemed to be the ideal Elder to co-ordinate New Vulcan's repatriation efforts. Nero had destroyed all but 10,000 Vulcan citizens - fewer than were required to form a healthy gene pool to repopulate their race. It was essential that all available Vulcans should join the colony and begin breeding, out of season if required, to rebuild their population.

It was in his capacity as Minister for Repatriation that Selek was expecting his final visitor for the evening, a young male named Sagan who wished to discuss a missing relative. Uncharactaristically for a Vulcan, Sagan seemed to be running late for his appointment. After waiting for what he considered to be a suitable period, Elder Selek was about to leave when he heard a tentative knock at his door.

Selek straightened in his seat and bade his visitor to enter. The door opened slowly and a young male timidly entered the room. "Elder Selek?" asked the wide-eyed young male. "I am he." replied Selek. "Forgive my tardiness, Elder, but I am uncertain as to whether my request might be granted and have been…. concerned about approaching the Council with it. My name is Sagan."

Selek offered the young male a seat and a drink of water before settling back into his own seat. "Perhaps if you make your request, young one, I may be able to ascertain whether it could feasibly be granted. It is illogical to be concerned before the outcome is known."

"As you wish, _S'haile_" responded Sagan. He took a deep breath and folded his hands on his lap. "Elder, I come before you today because I understand that females of mating age are in very short supply. I am not in need of a mate at present so that is not the purpose of my visit. However, I did once have a sister who was healthy and aesthetically pleasing, who might be suitable to help increase our numbers." Selek nodded briefly, encouraging the youth to continue.

"Regrettably, my sister was… shall we say, indiscreet?… in her choice of associates and fell into inappropriate company. My family were disgraced to find her entertaining several males in her bedchamber, and after she refused to recant her emotional ways our father was left with no choice but to cast her out. We have been estranged for 23 years. But much has changed since then". Selek nodded tersely; much had indeed changed, and further change would be required for Vulcan society to be rebuilt.

"As she was my only sibling, I have secretly maintained a certain amount of contact with her over the years without our parents' knowledge. Nothing detailed, just brief contact to let her know that we're well and for her to return the courtesy. However, I have not heard from her in several years although I can still feel her presence faintly through our family bond. Our parents perished in the Genocide, so we now have no relatives bar each other. _S'haile_, even though my sister is V'tosh ka'tur, it is important to me that I should make contact with her whilst I still have the chance." Sagan looked down, his voice a faint whisper. "I have no-one else."

The young male then sat quietly, looking down at his carefully folded hands. He seemed almost _afraid_ to await his Elder's response.

Selek reclined slightly in his seat, his elegant brows furrowed as he considered Sagan's request. He knew what it meant to lose a sibling in such a manner. Selek - or rather, Spock - had been 12 when his elder brother Sybok had been declared V'tosh ka'tur under similar circumstances. Young Spock had greatly admired his debonair, intellectual, fully-Vulcan brother. Sybok was everything Spock had dreamed of being. A gifted student, Sybok had progressed in his studies at an accelerated rate and had been accepted to teach at the Vulcan Science Academy. But more importantly to Spock, nobody would have dreamed of bullying the first-born, full-blooded son of the S'chn T'gai Clan Leader. Unlike his "mongrel" half-brother, the "whelp of that human whore".

But there was a dark side to Sybok. The boy was emotionally traumatised due to having been abandoned by his mother, a condition which was known to lead to difficulties with emotional control. Sarek had indulged Sybok's tantrums on occasion as the cause was sometimes sufficient. However, Sybok had become increasingly irrational, poring through ancient texts to try to understand how his ancestors coped with their emotions. He eventually claimed that he could hear the 'voices of the ancients' speaking to him in his mind, urging him to search for what they termed the 'ultimate knowledge'. And then he started to gather followers…

When young Spock began to emulate Sybok's irrational behaviour, Sarek had no choice but to protect the honour of his clan, and Spock's reputation, by declaring his first-born son V'tosh ka'tur. It had been over 100 years since Spock had seen his brother sacrifice his life to save him and his colleagues, but not a day had gone by that he didn't think of his brother and what might have been had he managed to find him sooner. Now, of course, Spock had journeyed back in time, 25 years before Sybok's death on Sha Ka Ree. He had been considering for some time the possibility of tracking down his brother, but the needs of his people outweighed the needs of that one individual. Perhaps… perhaps this young male presented just such an opportunity; a valid reason to search for another V'tosh ka'tur. And if he were perchance to find his brother in the process of his search…

"Tell me, Sagan, what data do you have regarding your sister's most recent location?"

"_S'haile_, T'Xenu was always reluctant to give me any details of her location. But the last time I urged her through our bond to come home, I had the distinct impression that the word 'home' triggered in her mind a word that sounded somewhat like 'Tarsis'. I believe she was living under an assumed name but she didn't divulge it to me. T'Xenu was an accomplished musician and had previously mentioned that she was teaching music to young children. I daresay there are not too many Vulcan females teaching music on other worlds; perhaps she can be located?" The youth immediately shrank in his seat and looked down at his folded hands, surprised that he had made so bold a suggestion to a revered Elder.

Selek bored his eyes into the top of the young male's head, steepling his fingers as he considered his options. Yes, this could prove to be an excellent reason for beginning a search for his long-lost brother, using a general search for the V'tosh ka'tur as a logical cause. Vulcan society needed as many members as possible, and perhaps it was time to track down as many V'tosh ka'tur as possible and bring them back into the fold.

"Your request has merit, young one." he said eventually. "We need as many healthy females of breeding age as we can find. I cannot promise anything, but I will make enquiries." Selek stood up from his seat, immediately followed by Sagan. "Please leave your contact details with my aides". Sagan bowed respectfully to his Elder and exited Selek's office.

Selek returned to his desk and activated his computer. Tomorrow's schedule would have to be cleared: he had a great deal of research to do.

**Glossary:**

Sas-a-shar - Vulcan desert, otherwise known as The Forge

S'haile - lord

V'tosh ka'tur - Vulcans declared to be without logic


	2. Chapter 2: Research

_**A/N: Apologies for the delay in updating - real life decided to intervene in a major way. Thanks to everyone who read the first chapter, and special thanks to reviewers. Kind comments make all this hard work worthwhile!**_

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Star Trek or any of the related characters, nor am I earning anything from this bar the pleasure of seeing a story unfold. Woe is me.**

* * *

_**The story so far...**_

Elder Selek had a mission: to track down the V'tosh ka'tur, and two individuals in particular, to seek their reintegration into Vulcan society. A young male named Sagan sought his exiled sister, T'Xenu, who had been declared V'tosh ka'tur several years previously... and Selek decided that this gave him a logical reason to track down his own brother, Sybok, who had been exiled for irrational behaviour.

* * *

**Chapter 2: Research**

As the Elder tasked with overseeing the repatriation of Vulcans from other worlds, Selek had extensive access to confidential Vulcan records. However, the procedure for declaring a relative V'tosh ka'tur included purging all official records of any reference to them. A V'tosh ka'tur was in almost every sense declared dead to their family, and to Vulcan. In theory, there should be no scrap of data anywhere concerning any individual declared V'tosh ka'tur.

However, Selek was a highly regarded computer expert, having spent many years studying under Sarek and then working with various computer systems in Starfleet and throughout the Federation. If anyone could break through the wall of silence, it was he. Selek accessed the database recovered from the Vulcan embassy on Terra and then spent the morning creating an algorithm to search Family Records for fragments of data that were not connected to any filenames. Perhaps there was some orphan data which could be pieced back together to offer some clues. He left his algorithm running and turned to his communications console.

Selek sent a message to Sagan asking him to provide as much personal information about his sister as he could: date of birth, height, hair & eye colour, educational achievements and so forth. Then he put in a call to the one individual he believed may be able to provide information about Sybok: their father, Sarek.

-x-

Ambassador Sarek listened politely as the Andorian ambassador once again droned on about some tedious little detail in their latest trade agreement. New Vulcan was still in the process of building its infrastructure and was dependant on its Federation partners for many essentials, including food, raw materials and manufactured goods. This meant endless meetings between the New Vulcan government and its trading partners. The Andorians, sensing Vulcan's new weakened position, were milking the situation for all it was worth. Sarek, who was not renowned for his patience at the best of times, found that his control was being tested to its very limits.

T'Pau had named Sarek Ambassador Plenipotentiary after Vulcan's destruction, as his reputation made him the logical choice to represent Vulcan's interests in the Federation. There were times that he regretted this role as it required him to attend meetings that didn't tax his intellect. He found that he missed his days teaching at the VSA where the students had at least engaged his mind. Unlike this uninspiring little Andorian they had sent to fence against him in this agreement.

Sarek's personal comm pinged with an incoming message. Seeing that the message was from Selek, he set his comm to text-only, placed it under the desk, and began to read. His eyebrows shot to his hairline as he read that Selek wished to meet with him to discuss Sybok. Sarek had always regretted the necessity of declaring Sybok V'tosh ka'tur and he frequently wondered how his son was faring. Could this message from Selek indicate that his first-born son had been found? Sarek agreed to meet him later that evening to find out.

-x-

The meeting with the Andorians seemed to go on forever, but eventually a consensus was reached and Sarek hurried, at as stately a pace as he could manage, to Selek's residence to discuss Sybok. After the ritual greetings and serving of tea, Selek and Sarek settled in Selek's study to discuss their missing relative.

"Father, I have recently spoken with a young male who has asked me to attempt to trace his sister, who was declared V'tosh ka'tur 23 years ago. However, before I begin investigating this female, I need to establish whether it would be acceptable for me to begin repatriating the V'tosh ka'tur into our society. The Council seems to be split on this issue, with some members steadfastly refusing any contact with the V'tosh ka'tur due to concerns that their emotionalism might further damage our already devastated society. But other members are more open to the idea, believing that the pitiful numbers in our population necessitate the repatriation of as many Vulcans as possible, irrespective of their control. I would ask for your opinion on this matter."

So. Perhaps Sybok had not yet been located, but Selek was looking for ways to find him. Could it be that this female is to be used as an excuse? Kaiidth. Vulcans are needed, regardless of their past. "Selek, I too am conflicted in this issue. I can see the logic in repatriating as many Vulcans as possible, but I can also see the logic in protecting what is left of our society. Our history shows that our adherence to logic and control of our emotions is vital if we are to live together in peace. Perhaps instead of true repatriation, we can organise two home worlds; one for the Surakians and one for the V'tosh ka'tur?"

Selek mused over his father's words. It was indeed a difficult subject to discuss as their was great merit to both sides. However, he believed a stand must be taken. "Father, I am uncertain as to whether forming separate home worlds would be logical, as this has been tried before and it failed spectacularly. The last time we faced the possibility of separating the followers of Surak from the V'tosh ka'tur, we established the colony worlds that culminated in the Romulan Star Empire and we have been at war with them more or less continuously since the split. Indeed, it was a Romulan who destroyed his own ancestral home world. I would be concerned that forming two separate worlds would lead to similar friction. No, Father - I firmly believe that whilst it will be exceedingly difficult to manage, the only safe solution for Vulcan society is to find a way to live alongside them."

Sarek leaned back in his seat and steepled his fingers together, considering his options. The Romulans had indeed been... troublesome... in the past but the Elders had been unsuccessful in finding a way to reunify their two peoples. The Romulans seemed to revel in their warlike ways; indeed, their society seemed to have selected for the most violent traits over the centuries, with only the most ruthless being elevated to command. Until, that is, someone even more violent would bring that individual's reign of terror to a messy end and replace them. Vulcan subversives who had infiltrated Romulan society had reported that the majority of Romulans were good-natured, peaceful individuals in much the same way as most Vulcans had been, but that they were cruelly subjugated by the violent elements in their society.

Sarek was almost certain that a similar situation would occur if a new colony world were established for the V'tosh ka'tur, but wondered whether the same would happen should they be repatriated to live alongside the Surakians. Surely if they were to live alongside each other, the Surakians could lead by example? There was indeed a chance that peaceful coexistence could be achieved, and even if it was a slim chance, Sarek reasoned it may be worth trying. There was also cost to consider: Vulcan's wealth had been severely depleted due to the destruction of the home world, The Council barely had sufficient funds to rebuild one new world, let alone two.

"My son, I have considered your words and I agree that we should at least make an attempt to repatriate the V'tosh ka'tur. I will discuss this with T'Pau; as Council Leader she should be able to sway many votes in our direction. In the meantime, I can see no harm in beginning enquiries into this female you mention. However, your invitation made mention of Sybok; I am curious to discover what you have to say about your former brother."

Selek inwardly bristled at hearing Sybok described as his 'former' brother. Even if Sarek had declared Sybok an outcast, the fact remained that Sybok was of his blood and no mere declaration can change that. "I must admit, thinking about repatriating a V'tosh ka'tur did make me think of Sybok, who should in theory be alive somewhere, as he was at this point in my universe. The time is long overdue for us to discuss Sybok's fate in my universe, and I believe you should now know what became of your first-born son."

* * *

**Glossary**

Kaiidth: what is, is _(source: Vulcan Lang Dict)_

Surakian: logical Vulcans; followers of Surak _(source: Memory Alpha)_


	3. Chapter 3: Remembering Sybok

_**The story so far... Elder Selek had a mission: to track down the V'tosh ka'tur, and two individuals in particular, to seek their reintegration into Vulcan society. He has just gained Sarek's tentative approval to begin looking for V'tosh ka'tur, and Selek has decided to push his luck by trying to gain approval to search for his brother, Sybok.**_

**Disclaimer: I still don't own any of Gene Roddenberry's creations, but I do own my OCs.**

* * *

**Chapter 3: Remembering Sybok**

Selek poured a cup of tea for himself and his 'father' and settled back in his seat. "Father, did you ever speak to Sybok to discern his reasons for rejecting logic?" enquired Selek. "My son, Sybok became quite dangerous, particularly towards his younger brother. I acted out of concern for our family's reputation and for my younger son's safety. I did not consider it appropriate to validate Sybok's irrational rantings by questioning him on his beliefs." replied Sarek.

Selek let out a deep breath and began his tale. "In my universe, my father exiled Sybok soon after his graduation from the Vulcan Science Academy. Sybok had struggled with his emotional control for many years after his mother's death. Sybok once confided in me that the monks at Gol had verged on cruelty in their treatment of him, treating him with disdain for displaying the natural emotionalism of an untrained child. His mother, regrettably, had been unable to show him the care and guidance he desperately needed because she was engrossed in her Kolinahr training. As a result, when Sybok joined our household he was already emotionally damaged and the Disciplines never seemed to bring him serenity. He had hoped that he would find the answer whilst studying at the VSA, but that answer was not forthcoming. Surak's Disciplines did not seem to suit him.

"Sybok had always been eager to gain our father's acceptance, and as such he followed in his footsteps by studying Astrophysics. Sybok proved to be exceptionally gifted and he progressed in his studies at an accelerated rate. He found that Astrophysics stimulated and satisfied his considerable intellect but it offered no comfort for his emotions. So he took to spending many hours in the library at the academy, poring over historical records, trying to discern how our ancestors coped with their emotions before the time of Surak.

"He discovered something that was of great interest to him: an ancient belief system that was once widespread on Vulcan, the 'Worship of Galactic Light'. Approximately 7,000 years ago - nobody knows the precise date as written records did not survive the War - a young female named TeVarna believed she had a vision that showed her that the Creator of All Things resided at the centre of the Milky Way, in a mystical place called Sha Ka Ree.

"According to the religion she established at the time, the Creator was a being of pure light and energy who resided in the vast ball of light that can be seen at the centre of the Galaxy. And from there, he spun out his celestial arms to send forth new stars, new planets... and eventually, us. Our ancestors believed that everything would come to an eventual end when the Creator would draw his arms back in, pulling all matter within the galaxy back into his fiery embrace.

"At the time, it was believed that each galaxy had a 'Creator' at its centre, and that each Creator guided the daily lives of the life-forms it had created. Whilst we have never travelled to the core of the galaxy to establish beyond doubt that this is pure fantasy, over the years our scientific advances began to cast doubts on the religion and its followers naturally dwindled.

"Sybok discovered that followers of this religion seemed blissfully at peace with themselves, in a way that had never before been seen in Vulcan society. Their belief in a Creator that guided their every living moment allowed them to relax and take life in their stride. They believed that the Creator lent his energies to each of us in the form of our lifespark, and that pain and suffering were negative forces that ate away at this energy. They believed that by giving up their pain they could become closer the Creator, so they turned all their efforts to removing any discomfort, pain or distress from their lives. As such, they lived lives of seclusion, rarely entering into conflict with one other and for over 1,000 years they lived a peaceful existence.

"However, science was rapidly advancing amongst those who did not subscribe to the Worshippers' beliefs. The invention of the warp drive and the discovery of other populated planets allowed us to meet others who were not of our race, and the Worshippers were dismayed to discover that whilst some peoples believed in some sort of a creator, most did not and none believed that it existed at the centre of the galaxy.

"Science has now proven that the centre of the Milky Way is a black hole which is slowly but surely dragging the contents of the galaxy into its core. It is highly unlikely that this black hole has sentience or is the creator of anything, let alone ourselves. And so, with the advancement of reason, the Worshippers of Galactic Light dwindled in number until there were eventually only a handful left, who took residence in the mountains of Vulcana Regar where they prayed continuously, without eating or sleeping, for several months... imploring their Creator to show his face and disprove the scientists once and for all.

"They were, of course, unsuccessful. No 'Creator' appeared and the Worshippers were pressured by the rest of Vulcan society to abandon their illogical beliefs and embrace the logic of science. They refused, and on the equinox they committed mass suicide with the intention of returning to the arms of their Creator. Their writings were stored as a warning to future generations of the folly of rejecting reason, eventually ending up in the Library at the Academy where Sybok came across them.

"Sybok was fascinated by their teachings, particularly his discovery that they had used their emotions to amplify their telepathy in an attempt to contact their 'Creator'. Many Worshippers became highly adept telepaths who could influence the minds of others in their group, bending them to their will. It was thought that this was precisely how the leader of that final group of Worshippers convinced her followers to commit mass suicide, even going so far as to kill their own bondmates and children.

"Sybok himself was a strong telepath, and he decided to experiment with the teachings of the Worshippers to see if his strong emotions could be combined his telepathy in an attempt to gain control over both. After two years' surreptitious study, be believed he had learned enough to pour his emotions into his telepathy. He did so and, following the teachings of the Worshippers to their natural conclusion, he broadcast his thoughts towards the centre of the galaxy to see whether he would receive a response. Naturally, there was no reply.

"However, Sybok found that using the teachings of the Worshippers had not only given him greater control of his emotions, but he found his telepathy was far more precise. He found that he was gaining influence over the thoughts of others, and could sometimes gain information from them without touching them. He discussed his findings with his most trusted associates at the Academy, and several of them were interested to learn more.

"He began giving lessons during one mid-meal each week. He soon had a small following which was gaining a reputation as strong, confident students who excelled in their studies and topped all of their classes. Over time, he discovered that the most useful emotion for amplifying telepathic ability was pain. He learned to tap into his own pain to heal his emotional state, and began to do the same with his colleagues. I noticed his new-found confidence and serenity and asked him how he had achieved it; he responded by telling me stories of the Worshippers and showing me a few of their techniques. Sybok knew that I, too, had always struggled with my emotions due to my human heritage and he sought to help me.

"One night, Sybok completed his nightly ritual of meditating on the teachings of the Worshippers followed by broadcasting a telepathic plea towards the centre of the Galaxy, when suddenly he heard a reply. He described the voice that had spoken to him as resonant, almost echoing; male and authoritative; almost fatherly. The voice told him that it had been listening to him for some time and had deemed him worthy of a response. It invited him to Sha Ka Ree to seek it out.

"Sybok ran to my bedchamber and excitedly informed me of this latest development. In our excitement, we failed to realise that our father had heard him running to my bedchamber and was stood outside the door listening to every word. When he thought he'd heard enough, Sarek entered my bedchamber and ordered Sybok into his study.

"I am not sure of the exact contents of their discussion, but I heard voices raised in anger and Mother eventually joined them. After a long argument, she then ran past my bedchamber to her own, crying inconsolably and slamming the door behind her. The next morning, Mother informed me that Sybok was to be exiled from our family for rejecting logic and refusing to follow his father's orders. I didn't see him again until many years later." Selek took a sip of his tea and sat back in contemplation.

Sarek had listened to the tale so far with great trepidation. Much of it was familiar to him, but he had not learned the details of the Worshippers of Galactic Light, nor of their attempts to marry emotion with telepathy to enhance their abilities. It seemed that Sybok's situation had been more serious than he had thought, and that the boy might have benefited from guidance rather than excommunication. Sarek suppresed an illogical wish to return to Sybok's youth and question him more deeply before deciding to declare him an outcast. Kaiidth. One cannot travel back in time... and yet, here before him was a male who had done just that!

"Yes, Selek - I believe that is very much how circumstances unfolded in this universe, too." he said at length.


End file.
